1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a wireless pager system and, more particularly, to a system for employing a wireless pager in providing information concerning medication to a pager subscriber.
2. Description of Background
With the advent of medical research and the proliferation of an increasing number of drugs available for treating illnesses, it is frequently the case that an individual is required to take a number of different medications at varying times of the day, not to mention with a specified frequency over a typical week. Thus, it is necessary for the patient to individually keep track of the medication that he or she must receive and also to maintain some log so that the times for taking the medication can be followed. Moreover, the timing of taking the medication, vis-a-vis meal times and the like, is frequently a critical factor in the effectiveness of the medication.
Exacerbating this proliferation of medications is the fact that frequently it is older patients who are required to take a large number of drugs, and it is frequently older patients who have more difficulty in keeping track of complicated time schedules.
One solution to this problem of properly taking various medications at the correct times is to provide a multi-segmented or compartmentalized pill case that may include a manually settable index to indicate which pills are to be in which compartment and also a manually settable scheduling device to indicate at which time the pills are to be taken.
The above-mentioned mechanical solutions to this problem of properly taking medication according to a rigorous schedule depends substantially on the reliability of the actual user of the medication. That is, the user must load the multicompartment pill box and properly set whatever indexes and scheduling devices are available.